Dispatch Developers Respond to Nintendo’s Censorship Controversy

Adhoc Studios, the team behind the superhero workplace dramedy Dispatch, is facing some fire for the mandatory censorship found in the Switch and Switch 2 versions of the game. Fans have pointed out that this censorship isn’t present in other platforms, leading to a flurry of complaints. In response, the developers have shared their side of the tale, mentioning their conversations with Nintendo, suggesting they initially thought they’d have more leeway with content, much like what was seen in CD Projekt Red’s titles.

Some early adopters reported that they’ve been able to secure refunds on the port, which has lead to a rather quiet period since launch. According to a recent post on their Discord channel, Adhoc shared, “we’ve been trying to make sure we’re being good partners with Nintendo.” Before this message, Nintendo had released their own statement, telling gamers not to lay blame solely at their feet.

Adhoc emphasized that the reason for the changes was due to Nintendo’s content guidelines, which Dispatch simply did not adhere to. “That’s what happened here. Honestly, we thought this would be obvious since we’re the devs that released the fully uncensored version of the game on other platforms,” they stated.

The level of censorship has raised eyebrows particularly because big titles like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 feature unfiltered content on Nintendo consoles, including nudity and explicit audio. Adhoc seemed equally surprised by the restrictions imposed on their title. “We initially assumed, like some of you, that because games like Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk are on the platform with similar types of uncensored mature content, Dispatch would be allowed to do the same,” they remarked.

As the porting process unfolded, it became clear that wasn’t the case. The developers attempted to include a disclaimer on the store page to inform potential customers about the discrepancies in content compared to other platforms. Their post explained, “Where we absolutely need to take full ownership is the placement of that disclaimer.” They admitted, “While we didn’t have complete control of the language, we did have control of the placement.”

The miscommunication emerged due to the disclaimer being placed in a section titled “Disclaimer,” rather than where players might expect to find it—namely, the “About The Game” area. This misstep led to the perception that they were trying to conceal the censorship. However, after listening to feedback post-launch, they promptly adjusted the placement to enhance visibility.

For now, Adhoc mentions that they are in discussions with Nintendo to find a way forward. Although specific details are still vague, they remain optimistic about addressing some censored content in future updates. “We’re confident we’ll be able to push an update to address at least some of the censored content. I’ll get ahead of it now and say that between dev time and the console submission process, we’re talking weeks, not days,” they concluded.

As they continue to navigate this bump in the road, fans will be eagerly watching for any updates from Adhoc Studios. The controversy certainly adds an interesting twist to the launch of Dispatch.